Silence
by webofdreams89
Summary: Naruto is beginning to discover just how loud it is now that there is nothing but the silence. SasuNaru.


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**_Warning!_ ****Before you proceed, you should know that this is YOAI! If you don't like it, then please don't read, although I'm confused as to why you'd click on the story in the first place knowing this. There is also character death. You are forwarned!**

**Author's Notes: This story has been revised and edited until I became blue in the face. Hopefully, hopefully it is now up to par as it caused a great headache for two. Bleh. **

**Summary: It was quite loud now that there was nothing but silence. SasuNaru. Character death.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the fabulous world that is Naruto-land. If I did, I would be a very lucky girl indeed.**

**Plus, I don't think there are any spoilers.**

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**Silence**

o.O.o

The first time he came in the night, Naruto wasn't even surprised. A little startled, yes, but not surprised. Sasuke wasn't nearly as mysterious as everyone made him out to be. Not to Naruto at any rate.

Naruto jerked awake as a cold shadow passed over his body, a strange and familiar buzzing sound drilling into his ears that his subconscious attributed to only one person. Glaring at the window where the almost-full moonlight should have been filtering in, he saw the outline of an all too familiar body. He was just glad he'd remembered to set his traps before bed.

Sasuke stood there, immovable, shadowed face feigning passive while his eyes said so much more. One hand rested lightly on the window frame, the other shoved deep into a pants pocket. He looked as if he hadn't even bothered changing his clothes after their training session earlier in the day as his usual white pants were tattered, torn, covered in filth.

Naruto, still scowling as he crawled from his bed, made his way across the short expanse of floor until he stood directly in front of the window, crossing his arms over his tanned bare chest. "What do you _want,_ Sasuke?" he asked, his voice still full of sleep. Glancing over at the clock on his nightstand, Naruto added, "It's three o'clock in the morning. If you're here for a re-match because I managed to beat your pansy ass, it can wait until there's at least some _daylight." _

Sasuke's eyes flickered just once, Sharingan peaking out, but only for a second. Ignoring Naruto's previous statement, he said in a husky voice, "Let me in, dobe."

"Like hell!" Naruto said, voicing increasing an octave or two. "There's no way I'm letting you in here when you're pissed like this."

"I'm not angry," Sasuke amended, his voice oddly soft. "I could easily break through your traps, but I'd rather not wake the whole neighborhood in doing so."

Resigned, Naruto moved to deactivate his traps. Once done, he moved aside to let Sasuke in. "The door's yours, Your Highness."

Choosing to ignore the last comment, Sasuke climbed through the window with a grace that Naruto both envied and admired. The two boys stood staring at each other for a moment, Naruto clad only in his bright orange boxers, just looking, just taking the other in.

Uncomfortable, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest once again, shifting his weight to his other foot. "Seriously Sasuke, what's going on? Most people don't just show up at someone's house in the middle of the night. And _most _people use the front door."

Sasuke's silence caused Naruto to sigh in frustration, his eyes glancing once longingly at his bed where he had been having a pleasant dream of inheriting a ramen stand. He missed the way Sasuke's eyes skimmed over his body once before gulping slightly and landing once again on Naruto's face just as he was turning back around.

"I-I don't know," Sasuke replied honestly, his dark eyes landing on Naruto's blue, which looked almost navy in the dark of the bedroom. "I just felt…"

"Lonely?" Naruto asked uneasily.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He hadn't expected Naruto to understand, hadn't expected him to have even an inkling of intuition. _But then again_, his mind reasoned, _Naruto's just as alone as I am. _"Yeah," he agreed, his voice still soft and filled with none of the usual snap and bite. "I-"

Naruto half-smiled at him, the left side of his mouth lifting up slightly. "I know, Sasuke, believe me, there's no need to explain. I understand."

Sasuke nodded slightly. Taking a half step toward the other boy, he asked, "Can I stay here tonight?"

Naruto's big blue eyes grew wide for a moment, but again, he didn't look all that surprised. Sasuke was beginning to wonder if the boy wasn't half as idiotic as he pretended to be most of the time. "Alright. But I don't have a spare futon or anything. Don't get many guests or anything."

"Okay."

"Meaning, you'll either have to sleep on the floor or, you know, in my bed. With me."

"Okay," Sasuke replied again, inching forward once again. Unsure of what to do next, Naruto walked back to his bed, sitting on the edge and looking up almost expectantly at Sasuke. Without thinking, Sasuke's feet moved him forward until he was standing directly in front of the blond, his hand surging forward, entwining in Naruto's permanent bed head. It pleased him when he heard Naruto's breath hitch in surprise, his eyes growing instantly wide and face smoothing into a peaceful stillness.

Drawing Naruto's head to him, Sasuke hugged the boy to his stomach, smiling slightly as he felt arms wrap around his back, hand unconsciously slipping slightly under the hem of the tattered navy shirt. After a while, Sasuke drew back slightly to gaze down at the blond. Naruto's eyes were serene, if half-glazed over, as they looked up at the dark haired boy, a jumble of emotions passing through them.

Confusion. Expectation. Astonishment. Longing. Understanding.

Without a word, Sasuke kneeled down in front of the blond, lips seeking the other's. Naruto's kiss was sloppy and tentative, making Sasuke all the happier to know that Naruto hadn't been kissing anyone since their first, awkward kiss during their academy days.

First kiss, first friend, first _everything._

Naruto staggered a bit when he felt Sasuke's hand skim down his chest, sliding down and in-between his legs. His boxers were around his ankles before his cloudy mind had the chance to process what was going on. He didn't really have too much time to ponder what was happening to him, the coiling and uncoiling in his stomach, the pleasant miasma coursing through his mind, the intense pleasure building up in his groin. Not when Sasuke's lips were nudging his. Not when Sasuke's hand was wrapped around his hardening dick; stroking, caressing, fondling.

He came not long after, hot and white in Sasuke's hand. As Naruto's brain cleared somewhat, he felt embarrassed by the way Sasuke was looking down at his hand and the stickiness found there. But Sasuke sensed the change in the blond's demeanor and quickly met Naruto's eyes, clean hand entangling with blond hair as he proceeded to clean off the fluid with his tongue. Naruto relaxed slightly, tense muscles loosening.

They stared silently until Naruto's chest stopped heaving, blue eyes trained on black. "Go back to sleep, dobe," Sasuke said, his voice still husky.

"But what about you?" he asked, voice still breathy. "I should take care of you, right? Isn't that how it works?"

The sheer innocence of Naruto's question made Sasuke smile wryly. "I'm fine, Naruto," he said. After seeing a skeptical blond eyebrow rise high into Naruto's forehead, Sasuke added, "Really, I am."

"Okay," Naruto said quietly, pulling his underwear quickly back up and crawling back into bed. "But you're staying right? You asked and I said it was okay…"

"Yes, I'm staying," Sasuke said, voice subdued by the blond's thoughtfulness.

"Then climb in," Naruto commanded, patting the emptiness next to him.

Kicking his shoes off and tossing his dirty clothing off, Sasuke did, lying unmovingly on his back. After a moment, Naruto curled around him, his tanned hand running down Sasuke's pale chest until it dipped into the Uchiha's boxers.

"You need this too," Naruto whispered in his ear as Sasuke's head slammed back into the pillows, the blond proceeding to jerk him off.

o.O.o

"_He doesn't seem to be getting any better," Sakura said as she knelt by her teammate's side, her long nimble fingers running distractedly through his blond hair._

"_Hm," Tsunade said, staring down at her intended successor, her eyes heavily lidded and worried, no doubt from hitting the bottle early, just as she had been doing lately. _

o.O.o

After that first night, it became an almost-routine.

Sasuke didn't come every night, but nearly, often enough that Naruto's sleeping habits changed just enough so that he could no longer sleep very well without Sasuke's presence there with him to calm the constant buzzing in his ears.

He'd never admit it, but Sasuke had the same problem.

o.O.o

"_What's going on?" Sakura asked from the doorway of Naruto's room, breathless, her chest heaving from having run the entire way after receiving her summons._

_Her former teacher grinned at her cheekily. "I think I've finally come up with something that will fix the brat," she said, her voice littered with relief and hope._

o.O.o

Sakura was the first to figure it out.

They hadn't tried to hide it, but they hadn't exactly advertised whatever it was that they had together either. But if you knew someone well enough, though, it was easy enough to figure out that they were hiding something.

She wasn't upset really, and she couldn't be angry. She loved Sasuke, and Naruto was like the annoying brother she'd never had but always secretly wished for. If anything, she was disappointed and a little sad. It was hard knowing she never even had a chance. But then again, neither did any of the other females in Konaha. And that made her feel a little better.

She was just glad that she got to see Sasuke smile.

o.O.o

"_Are you sure that it's working?" Kiba asked impatiently as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed tensely over his chest. "I don't see any changes."_

"_Yes, that's a good question," Neji asked, unable to keep the offense from his voice. His eyes were glaring, daring her to tell him anything other than what he wanted to hear, praying that she wouldn't have to. Everyone, even someone as well-bred as a Hyuuga, became a little blinded when it came to Naruto._

"_Neji," Hinata chided softly, "I'm sure Tsunade-sama is doing her best. Sakura said these things take time." Her voice was strong, confident for once in her life. _

"_Besides," Choji said, his heavy gaze on the immobile blond, "this is Naruto we're talking about. If anyone can get through this, he can."_

"_Choji is right!" Lee said, his voice assertive. "Naruto is the best of us all."_

"_Indeed," Shino agreed._

o.O.o

The next time Sasuke came for him in the middle of the night, Naruto was waiting up, pretending he had been asleep for hours. He knew instantly Sasuke was in one of his moods; angry, furious, hurting. As Sasuke painfully took the blond, legs drawn up so high they were slamming into his shoulders with every thrust, Naruto told himself over and over that it was only him. He was the only one who ever saw the real Sasuke, candid, uninhibited, raw with passion and emotion and feeling.

Everyone loved Sasuke, but Naruto was the only person on the planet that had him.

And the next night, Sasuke would come and he would be sorry, repenting. He would probably be quiet or sob into Naruto's chest, deafening to Naruto's ears despite the buzzing, as Naruto soothingly told him that it would all be okay, that he could barely even feel the pain, that he liked it.

But Sasuke would know he was lying. After all, he knew Naruto best.

o.O.o

"_Any change?" Ino asked her best friend from the doorway of the hospital room. Her eyes landed on the blond once again, a small shudder passing through her body._

_The smile on Sakura's face was small, reminiscent, but there nonetheless. "He said something today," she replied. "Mumbled something about buzzing and heart songs."_

o.O.o

Naruto once told Sasuke about the incessant sound that filled his ears every time the dark haired shinobi was near or far away or held in Naruto's thoughts.

Sasuke raised a thin, dark eyebrow, but didn't say a word. Just turned back to the rice ball he was shaping, eyes drawn in concentration as they betrayed his thought process.

Sakura was a little more accommodating to Naruto's confession, but barely. After her jaw dropped briefly, her mouth quickly closed before she dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked, his arms crossed over his chest. The look of utter confusion on his face did little to placate her laughter however. If anything, it only fueled it as she gazed at her blond teammate, wondering when he had gotten so cute when he was utterly puzzled. Probably after he'd matured an iota or two since his relationship with Sasuke began. "What's so funny? C'mon, Sakura, tell me!" he demanded, stamping his foot for emphasis.

Working hard to control herself. "Oh Naruto, I suppose it isn't really all that funny, but…"

"But _what?"_ he asked, frowning slightly.

"It's just that…well, you and Sasuke are so _adorable!" _she gushed.

He stared at the girl. And blinked. "We are so _not_ adorable, Sakura."

Not wanting to argue, she remained silent on the subject. "Whatever you say Naruto."

"But seriously, tell me!"

"You say it sounds like buzzing?" she asked, her face growing serious.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I hear it all the freaking time. It makes my head all floaty-like and makes my stomach feel empty or nauseous or sometimes both."

"It's your _heart,_ Naruto," she said with a small smile.

"My heart?" he asked. "C'mon, I'm not even a medical ninja like you and I know that heart does not make that sound. It's more like _badump badump badump."_

Sakura rolled her eyes as she watched the blond imitate the sound of beating heart by pounding on his chest with an open palm. "I don't mean the physical heart, Naruto. I mean the emotional one."

He continued to stare at her blankly. Sighing deeply, she went on. "When do you hear the sound, Naruto?"

"I don't know," he said vaguely. "All the time."

"But is it specifically tied to something? _Someone?_" she asked, her teal eyes narrowing in the hope that he was beginning to catch on.

"I don't know, I don't think so. Sure, Sasuke's always there, but I'm always with him. I-"

"Bingo," she said, making an uncharacteristic cocked gun with her hand.

"What do you mean?" he asked, scratching his head.

"The common factor whenever you hear the noise is _Sasuke."_

"But sometimes I hear the noise when he isn't there too, Sakura."

"Are you thinking about him when you hear it?" she asked. The way his body froze, the way his eyes filled with understanding, she knew he finally understood.

"_Sasuke_ is what's making my ears hurt all the time?"

"Yep. But like I said, it's because of your heart. You like him, Naruto, probably love him. It's just your hearts way of telling you so. It's your heart song, Naruto."

"My heart's song is _buzzing?" _he asked incredulously. "What the hell?"

Giggling once again, Sakura said simply, "You always were one of a kind, Naruto."

o.O.o

It wasn't long before their relationship, tentative though it was, began turning into something more than just comfort and sex.

By then, all of their friends knew, or guessed, that they were together, one never seen far from the other, always in such close proximity to each other that it was considered rude unless you were sleeping together. But keeping Sasuke constantly close was the only thing that saved Naruto's brain from the constant assault on his eardrums. Sasuke's presence, Sasuke's scent, a heady musk, kept the pounding, his _heart's song_, as Sakura had called, at bay.

He didn't really mind that though, having Sasuke with him constantly. It was actually quite nice, after Sasuke got comfortable enough with their relationship to drop the strong, silent act. Around Naruto, at least. But that was how Naruto liked him best, relaxed and content. He was still pretty quiet for the most part, but every once in a while the ghost of a smile peeking out until Naruto kissed him into oblivion for the sheer joy of the way Sasuke's eyes lit up when he truly smiled.

Naruto, of course, was the first to say _I love you._ Sasuke didn't look too surprised the first time he heard it, tumbling breathless from Naruto's mouth as the blond came in his mouth. Instead, he just watched the younger shinobi until he fell asleep, face blissfully peaceful, before sneaking out to visit his parent's graves to pay a long and overdue visit.

It didn't take long until Sasuke was ready to say it back.

The two were lagging slightly behind as Team 7 came back from a mission near Suna. While Kakashi and Sakura weren't looking, he simply slinked up to Naruto's side, planted a chaste kiss near his ear, and whispered _I love you too, dobe._

But Sasuke saw the way Kakashi turned slightly, that all-knowing smirk of his plastered all over his covered face. And surprisingly, Sasuke didn't care.

o.O.o

"_He's closer to the surface," Sakura said to Hinata as the two of them stared down at the man they had both come to love._

"_I-I'm glad," Hinata said, her head bowed slightly._

_The two watched as Naruto's hand clenched and unclenched the sheets. "Sasuke…" he whispered hoarsely, eyes moving back and forth erratically under his closed eyelids._

o.O.o

It was supposed to a simple two-man recon mission. Just Sasuke and Naruto because everyone knew they worked best together. Get in, investigate, get out. Don't be seen and don't get caught. Those were the rules, one of the many unspoken laws of the shinobi.

They hadn't expected to run into _him._

By that time, Akatsuki was nearly extinct, only one member left to wreak havoc on the Five Great Shinobi nations and everyone in between. Fortunately for the five nations and everyone in between, this particular member only had he eyes on two people, one to capture, one to eliminate for good.

Naruto and Sasuke had been half way to their destination, a small little village in which disturbing occurrences were being reported to Konaha daily, Konaha willing to observe the situation and lend a hand if possible and at all necessary.

But Itachi had known they would be coming and had set a trap, one that no one short of a Hyuuga would have detected. They fell right into it or course, Naruto getting trapped in a mother of a genjutsu only moments later.

Helplessly, Sasuke had to choose between ending the fight there, killing Itachi who had taken so much from him, or by helping the blond, who was thrashing far to close to the ridge, his face turning quickly blue.

Sasuke was an Uchiha. There really was no second option, he knew what he had to do.

o.O.o

"_Where am I?" Naruto croaked, throat dry, bleary blue eyes flickering open for the first time in months. _

"_Naruto!" Sakura said, inhaling violently as she rushed to her friend's side. Cautiously helping him sit up, she just smiled at him, tears of pure and unadulterated joy coursing down her cheeks. "Y-you're in the hospital. You've been in a coma-"_

_But explanations were tossed aside as Naruto's eyes quickly narrowed in sudden realization. "Sakura, where's Sasuke?"_

_Even without witnessing the way Sakura's face paled and pupils dilated, Naruto knew something was wrong, so very wrong._

"_N-Naruto, you just woke up. Why don't we leave explanations until later, alright?" _

"_Where's Sasuke?" Naruto demanded again, his voice stern and determined to get the answer from her._

"_Oh Naruto," Sakura said, taking her friend's hand in her own. "Sa-Sasuke didn't make it!"_

_It scared Sakura the way Naruto's entire body tensed up, froze, the undistinguishable sound coming from him like that thumping of tiny bee's wings. Knowing that she owed him the truth, she went on. "Lee, Neji, and Tenten were the ones that found you. Lady Tsunade sent them out as backup after she heard that the village you guys were sent to investigate was under attack. By the time they got there, they found you _

_unconscious, Sasuke lying atop you, shielding you from Itachi. They managed to drive him off, b-but there was nothing they could do. He was already gone!"_

o.O.o

_No one was surprised really when they discovered Naruto's bed empty the next morning, red and white flowers placed with care on the shrine dedicated to all shinobi who die in the line of duty. They were less surprised when Uchiha Itachi's head turned up on the Hokage's desk two months later._

o.O.o

Naruto leaned against the familiar monument to the fallen shinobi. He had been coming here a lot lately since returning to the village and was surprised he had yet to see Kakashi, who never started a day without staring at the cold, hard stone, running his fingers over the name of a long since fallen Uchiha.

But Naruto ran his fingers over the name of a different Uchiha. And as he did so, as the tears spilled from his eyes, he noticed. Noticed for the first time just how noisy it had gotten now that nothing but silence filled his ears.

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**A/N: Reviews are a nice way of telling me what you think. I enjoy reviews of all shapes, sizes, and sexual preferences, including flames. Pointing out my mistakes is also very useful to me because I'm anal enough to go back and fix it! Choi.**

**webofdreams89**

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